Feminism PSA Still Image Video

This is a fair use still image video I made which is a public service announcement about Feminism. I utilized Photoshop, Audition and Premiere to create the final product.

Diversity in Media Response

For the still image video project, I plan on doing a public service announcement on feminism. Feminism is not only an issue that I am very passionate about but it is also something that has become taboo because people often have a misconstrued understanding of what it truly means to be a feminist. I could start off the video with an image of what people view “stereotypical” feminists to look like and show “meninists” which is the male mockery of feminism, and eventually show what actual feminists look like (i.e. men and women who believe that men shouldn't automatically have more rights than women). If I had to present the PSA in another medium such as print, I would do the same thing but with descriptive language to accompany the picture instead of audio. If I were to target a specific demographic like gender, I would adapt my commentary to sell feminism to males, who probably haven’t given this important topic much thought.

The Lion King Rises Fair Use Video Mashup

This is a video mashup of the The Lion King and The Dark Knight Rises. This project utilized the concepts I learned in class about fair use in media.

Afterlife Audio Story

This is my audio story which is about four young men's different perspectives on what happens when it comes to life after death. 

Editing Out Unwanted Sound with Audition

This first one is the original recording of me saying something motivational and in the background you hear me dropping a container of vitamins.

This next one is the same as the original but with the sound of the vitamin bottle being edited out using the tools in audition.



The third clip is an interview with some background noise such as a telephone ringing and just filler sound that need to be edited out.



This last clip is the same as clip three but the annoying sounds have been edited out using tools in adobe audition.

Meme Using Masking and Selection Tools in Photoshop

For this assignment I took a picture of Luke Hemmings, lead singer in the Australian pop-rock band 5 Seconds of Summer from a band photo shoot, isolated the image using the lasso tool, a mask and paint brush and placed it on a picture of runway models with a caption saying that he is Australia's Next Top Model.

I realize that this probably isn't that funny unless you're a fan of 5 Seconds of Summer but I guess in it's rarest form, it's funny because he's a musician who made a silly pose at a photo shoot and looks like he could be on a runway.

Brochure Color Swatches and Fonts

This color scheme was inspired by one of my favorite flowers, the hydrangea I saw a bouquet of them this weekend and there all had purple and blue toned flowers and rich green stems and leaves. While on the day to day I wouldn't gravitate toward putting two shades of green and a shade of blue together, seeing it put together so naturally (no pun intended) made me realize how beautiful and elegant it can be. The shade of blue also has some purple tones which I thought was a fitting way to nod toward High Point's colors -- as the brochure assignment features the HPU Passport -- but it does it in a way that isn't painfully cliche or overdone.

Also, these are the fonts that I intend to use in my brochure as well

Adjustment Layers

These four photos show how different adjustment layers in Photoshop affect an image of a girl.

1. This is the original image of the girl.

2. This is the original image with the adjustment layer Curves and the auto settings Enhance Per Channel Contrast and Shape Neutral Midtones. It increased the contrast and created a more vivid image than the original.

3. This is image 2 with the adjustment layer Levels and the midtones made just a hint darker by adjusting the midtone slider. This made the overall image a little bit darker too.

4. This is image 3 with the adjustment layer Vibrance which I increased to about +40 so that the colors would appear more lively but not start to bleed into each other.

Overall these adjustment layers helped to create a better image than the original.

File Types with the Cloud Image

There are several types of files and each type used can greatly affect how an image looks. I saved the same semi-transparent cloud image in a few different file formats to show how they differ.

1.cloud.jpg

This is the cloud image saved as a JPEG file. A JPEG is a flattened format that doesn't support layers which is also compressed and uses a lossy compression. So, to save space, a JPEG file selectively discards data and information by the quality settings chosen. JPEGs can't have transparency.

2. cloud.png

This is the cloud image saved as a PNG file. PNG files are good for working with apps that need a flattened image and supports multiple layers of transparency, as it is able to support 256 layers which is a main reason it is different from JPEG.

3. cloud.gif

This is the cloud image saved as a GIF file. GIF files are also flattneded and lossy but in a different way so that you have to make your image only have 256 colors in it and change it from an RGB file that has 8 bits per channel into an index color file before saving it. GIF files don't support transparency so the pixels are either on or off which can cause curved edges to appear jagged. That's one of the main reasons it is different from the JPEG and the PNG files.

Working the Shot

I was trying to focus on the idea of working the shot that I learned about in the Lynda Tutorial viewings this week. Since it was supposed to be pictures of everyday objects I decided to focus particularly on a geode that I have on my desk. I started with a basic eye level shot to get a feel for what the picture would actually look like.

This first shot is a basic angle that ends up with a picture of how I see the rock and doesn't provide for an interesting picture.

I decided that the last shot encompassed to much space and tried to make the picture less chaotic by moving closer to the rock. It is still chaotic because of all the books and my calendar.I also tried holding the camera horizontally but it didn't really seem to make the image much better.

With the third image I tried to put more focus on the geode and less on the background objects by moving closer but it once again proved to be too distracting.

I realized I should move the books since they were problematic. So I did. I thought this was better but still needed to be simpler and less distracting and moved closer once more.

I once again moved closer and took an angle above the rock which gave it a more interesting appearance but the image was not as simple as I was going for.

For my last image I removed my cross pendant and angled my camera slightly below the geode, got even closer and am fairly happy with the result. It could be better balanced a bit but I am happy with the way that changing my point of view and working the shot ended with a better photo.

About Me

Hi! I'm Maia Cody and I'm from Massachusetts and am a Strategic Communications major. London is my favorite place in the world. Not that I've been everywhere in the world, it's just that London has a very special place in my life and feels more like my home than my actual home does. It's my ultimate dream to live there someday. I hope to study abroad at Saint Mary's next year. In addition to being an anglophile, I also moonlight as a music and tumblr enthusiast -- respectively. Some of my favorite musicians are McFly (British), Busted (also British), Ed Sheeran (interestingly also British), 5 Seconds Of Summer (not British, Australian) and Boys Like Girls (Surprise! American).